Making a song and dance of Art Deco Festival
Napier’s buildings are stunning and the vintage cars gleaming, but nothing shows off the 1920s and 1930s era quite like a bit of dance.
The city’s Art Deco Festival is back from February 15 to 19 and the Encore team from Hastings’ Born to Move Dance Studio has been perfecting routines for the event since November.
Each year teams of dancers fill Napier’s closed streets to perform in art deco day-wear costumes, which creates a festival atmosphere for visitors, then transform into evening wear for later events.
Born to Move owner Corinne Bowey said her dancers were first asked to contribute an item for the festival in 2012, and their involvement grew from there.
Now groups perform on the streets during the weekend, and make appearances at different events.
‘‘We are flat tack from Friday through till Saturday,’’ Bowey said.
It was a good opportunity for students to learn the techniques and style of the era, but also to perform with high energy, she said.
Napier became a hub for the art deco style after the 1931 earthquake, when much of the coastal town’s buildings were destroyed by the disaster and 1930s-designed versions were erected in their place.
Emily Coppell, 16, Nicole Brebner, 17, Grace Gibson, 15, and Ainsley Bowey, 18, are part of the senior Encore team and have learned one dance in each class since November to prepare.
For the group, being able to bring joy to visitors was the highlight of performing.
‘‘For the weekend it feels like you’re famous,’’ Grace said.
‘‘People come up to you and say, ‘I’ve seen you before at another event’. Then you take off your costume and you’re just another person.’’
To help return the 1920s and 1930s atmosphere to the city, the dancers also perform along Marine Parade for tourists docked in Napier on cruise ships.
They danced along Napier’s main street when the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship docked and a group of 10 young children danced with them.
‘‘They were so happy,’’ Grace said.
Ainsley began dancing at the event in 2012, but will miss out this year because she will be in Melbourne beginning a course in musical theatre.
‘‘I really enjoy being able to add to art deco in a way no-one else has done,’’ she said. ‘‘Older people come up to us and thank us for reminding them of their young years.’’
"Older people come up to us and thank us for reminding them of their young years." Ainsley Bowey